Supercast

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. They raced to the finish line making history as the only Utah team ever to take home the first-place title at the Nike Cross Nationals in Portland, Oregon.

On this episode of the Supercast, we sit down with members of the Herriman High boys cross country team to find out what fuels them across the finish line and how it feels to be among the best of the best. Hear what their coach has to say about the talented team.

We're here at Herriman High School to talk with the coach and a couple of the runners who were involved in a big victory for Herriman High School in Oregon over the weekend. Coach Soles, thanks for taking a moment to talk with us.

Coach Soles:
Thank you so much for having us.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me a little bit about this competition. I know the state cross country season is over with, but this is a separate thing and it's a big deal.

Coach Soles:
Yeah, in 2004, Nike decided they wanted a national championship in cross country and so they created the Nike Cross Nationals. Pretty much brings together the fastest individuals and fastest teams in the country. So every year you get a chance to work your way through the process. You got to go to the Nike Cross Regionals, basically finish in the top two or three there and then you get an invite up to Portland to compete at the Nike Cross Nationals.

So out of the 18,000 plus teams that run cross country in high school, 22 of them end up in Portland. And if you can just make it there, it's pretty much an honor. But these guys had bigger goals and wanted to go after actually trying to win it this year after taking third last year. So pretty exciting to see it.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the qualifying event. That was only a few weeks ago, right?

Coach Soles:
Yes, so two weeks ago we took I think almost 60 kids down to Arizona and had a big competition for the Nike Cross Regionals. And these guys took second to American Fork there. We got out a little bit slow and it wasn't the race we wanted. So we had two weeks to make some adjustments and really get in their heads about where they needed to be at Nationals. And they listened to everything we told them to do.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now tell me a little bit about those adjustments. What are some of the things that make a fast runner faster when it comes to cross country? Don't divulge any secrets or anything. But in general, what are some of the things that you look for runners to do?

Coach Soles:
When you get to that level, almost everybody up there is a pretty fantastic runner. So you really have to understand the strategy that you need to use for that course that day with the group of kids that you have. So last year we went out really conservatively. I think we started like 14th or 15th in the race and then moved up and took third by the end of the race. This year we knew it was going to be extremely muddy and wet. There were big giant oceans of water on the course, so big puddles. So we told the boys it's really hard to move up when it gets muddy like that. So you're going to need to get out much faster than we're used to and much faster than we're comfortable to be able to do it.

That was one of the things that Jack was saying at the race is “I know for me to be successful, I have to go out much faster than I'm comfortable with doing.” And so as a coach, that's getting them to understand the positioning. We got out just a little bit better than American Fork did and I think that was the difference.

Anthony Godfrey:
So really it's the condition of the course to a great extent that determines your strategy.

Coach Soles:
Yeah, we couldn't set a strategy until we got up there and really did the course run-through on Friday. Coach Pugel runs with the boys and takes them through the course and they really look at where are the biggest obstacles, where do they need to make the moves in the final cut and then we evaluate what strategy we want to use. So it's really a team effort.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about Utah conditions you've coached for a very long time in California, you've competed in many states. How do the Utah conditions lend themselves or not lend themselves to good conditioning? Does the altitude make the difference that you might think it would or?

Coach Soles:
Yeah, actually we're almost exactly at 5,000 feet here at Herriman High School. And the nice thing is that it's of good benefit in terms of training for elevation but it's not so high up that you can't really do great workouts. So we've kind of got the best of both worlds here. We can push ourselves really hard and get those benefits and we can also make sure that we get the benefits of when we do our aerobic stuff that just that elevation is helping us. So when we go down the sea level in Portland, Oregon, all of a sudden that last mile we feel fantastic and everybody else is gasping for breath. So it definitely helps.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's interesting, it sounds like too much altitude would be counterproductive. Like if you're too high you can't really get a rich workout.

Coach Soles:
Yeah, I think a lot of the professional runners found that out. A lot of them were racing up to high altitudes and what they started to find out was they couldn't run fast enough at those altitudes to get some of the work that they needed. So they started driving down to lower elevations to do their speed work and then driving back up for the aerobic stuff. So there's always a balance but I think at 5,000 feet here we have kind of that perfect mix of just being able to get out and crank in most workouts and feel pretty good about what we do.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me, what are some of the skills that you focus on with newest runners? Kids who are new to running, they're excited about being part of the team, but they don't really have much of a head start. What are some basic skills that you really focus on helping them attain early on?

Coach Soles:
Yeah, I mean one of the first things is making friends. It's really easy to put in the work out there when you've got a friend group. So we try to get them friends so that they're comfortable being out there. We try to work on just that core strength, making sure that they can handle the work that they're trying to do. And so there's running components, but there's also a lot of strength components, consistency components that they've got to learn. As they learn those, they slowly but surely work up through the program. So we've had a lot of guys that have come in and they just start literally as the slowest guy on the team. After they get working their way through it, they'll work their way up into the top varsity group. So you never know what a 4’10” freshman boy is going to be as a senior, sometimes they're 6’3”.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Coach Soles:
So we never write them off.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's true.

Coach Soles:
Come in and work hard and you never know what you can be.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, tons of potential. And I love the focus on friendship because there's this connection with others. And at the same time, you get to see what type of personal progress you're making and how you're improving your own times.

Coach Soles:
Yeah, and I think that's the best email you get as a coach. It's fun winning national championships, but you get these emails from parents saying, “hey, we didn't think this was going to be for our kid and now it's all he thinks about. He made connections here and he's got a great friend group. He's always struggled to make friends and now he's got tons, so we appreciate it.” That's the rewarding side of it as a coach for sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
I love hearing that. And when you hear academic all-state for cross country, those are some high GPAs. You have some very focused students on your team.

Coach Soles:
Honestly, I've coached a lot of good teams. This is the smartest group I've had, some really, really smart kids. And Jack's here, he's a really highly intelligent kid. He was one of my student aides last year in class and I noticed, no matter what I asked him, he was spot on. And kind of had that wisdom a little bit ahead of where most people do. I think he was able to really look at what we were doing and what was going on and really understand it better than most kids do. And so I've relied on him a lot in terms of just maybe translating some of my stuff to the other kids and getting others to believe. I think he's done a great job with that.

Anthony Godfrey:
I've always been impressed when I watch cross country competitions, cross country meets, that students are so supportive of each other. Teams will cheer each other on along the trail. Speak to me a little bit about the culture of cross country.

Coach Soles:
Yeah, cross country is a weird sport because you tend to share workouts with other coaches, you tend to be friends with other coaches. And the athletes, a lot of the time they go and they're excited when they make new friends from other teams. So I think it's encouraged by the majority of programs.

We were facing an American Fork who had beaten us at State and beaten us at Nike Cross Regionals. And just we were the top two teams in the country this year and they'd gotten the better of us. I'm really close with the coach over there. Timo Mostert is one of the best coaches in the country and probably one of the best coaches of all time. So just having the opportunity to compete against people like that is just really high character and great people.

I think it was hard for our kids and our program while we're celebrating, we have to look over and see guys that we really care about hurting. Because they were right there and they were that good to win it as well. Their performance was good enough to win most NXN. So I know it was tough for them.

I've been on both sides of that equation and stood there and watched other teams celebrate while we were brokenhearted. So I thought it was really awesome. They came over and congratulated us and our boys went over and gave them hugs. And we understand that someone's got to win and someone's got to lose. But it is hard when it's people you're close with.

Last year, neither team really was quite able to think they were going to win it. So I think we were a little more relaxed and our boys and their boys ate breakfast, lunch and dinner together and hung out. And so they're really good friends and I think that's one of the coolest things.

But we always tell our kids in cross country, you go out there and make friends. Be nice to other parents and other people. You're going to get asked questions from other programs about our program. Be polite, be nice and the Herriman kids are amazing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, well, it's exciting to hear about the collaboration, and the friendship, and the competition that helps you bring out the best in each other. So congratulations on an amazing run, if I may say. And a great season and going from third last year to first this year. A lot of great things are ahead.

Coach Soles:
Yeah, actually we returned some of the best guys in the country and we're going to really be favorites to win next year as well. So hopefully this is the beginning of a dynasty for Herriman High School.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're thrilled to have you here and I really appreciate your taking the time.

Coach Soles:
Thank you so much.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back team members talk about their big win and what's next in their incredible high school cross country careers.

Break:
In Jordan School District, we like to support students in and outside the classroom along with their families. That's where the Jordan Family Education Center comes in, offering support services and a wide variety of classes for students and their families, free of charge. You can take a class called Blues Busters for children feeling sad or worried. Just Breathe is a class that helps students reduce stress. Or how about a class that supports parents in helping their children make and keep good friends? There are also support groups and free counseling, all provided by Jordan School District school psychologists, counselors, and school psychology interns. To find out how you can benefit from free family support services offered by the Jordan Family Education Center, call 801-565-7442 or visit guidance.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're at Herriman High School talking with two of the student athletes who competed over the weekend in the national cross country competition and took first. Tell me a little bit about yourself. Introduce yourself when you started running and tell me what got you started in running.

Jack:
I'm Jack Beckstrom, I'm a senior. I started running when I was in ninth grade. And honestly, the thing that started me running was my mom said I could stop playing the violin if I did.

Anthony Godfrey:
[LAUGH] So she said you could stop playing the violin if you started running. Is that something you came up with or did she come up with that bargain?

Jack:
I think she came up with it, but I took it as fast as I could.

Anthony Godfrey:
How long had you been playing the violin?

Jack:
For ten years at that point.

Anthony Godfrey:
So you were a decade into your career as a violinist and you gave it up for running.

Jack:
Yeah, I have three brothers, one older and two younger. And of everyone that's reached ninth grade so far, everyone's taken the deal.

Anthony Godfrey:
So everyone became a runner?

Jack:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow, can you outrun your brothers?

Jack:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
[LAUGH] That's a very interesting way for you to enter running. Tell me how it felt to start out as a runner.

Jack:
It was pretty hard to start out. I was like five foot two or something when I was a freshman.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jack:
My legs were tiny little nubs, could barely get moving. It was just really hard to do anything. So I just had to put in a lot of work. Then as soon as I started growing, it got easier.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, and you could feel the progress as you worked hard.

Jack:
Yeah, it feels really good to look back and see like, “Oh, I've been improving pretty steadily for years and years.”

Anthony Godfrey:
Now I want to give your mom some credit. I would think that the discipline of practicing the violin for ten years benefited you when it came to being a disciplined runner.

Jack:
Yeah, for sure. We had to practice it 30 minutes a day, five days a week. So going into practicing six times a week for however long. It's just, if you're doing something and competing in something, you need to have the discipline to practice it over and over again. And that really helped me develop that.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a pretty important lesson that consistent hard work will bring you some results that make it worth it.

Jack;
Yeah, it is a good lesson to learn.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about your career, introduce yourself.

Tayshaun:
I'm Tayshaun Ogomo. I'm a junior this year. I started running when I was in elementary school in sixth grade. My mom signed me up for, we have a program around here called Race Cats. And it starts you through the elementary school and you just go to smaller competitions or race against other elementary schools. She signed me up for that because I was currently playing baseball and soccer before that. And she told me if I ran, I would get faster to continue playing baseball and soccer. So I decided she was right and I started running. Back then it wasn't really running, it was go play sharks and minnows for 30 minutes and get a piece of candy after.

Anthony Godfrey:
Sharks and minnows and candy, that was your entrance into cross country.

Tayshaun:
Yeah, no, it definitely was. And then as we progressed through running in elementary school, we went to our races and I noticed that I was one of the fastest kids in those races, taking the first or second throughout them. And I was like, “Hey, I'm really good at this, I should keep doing it.”

Anthony Godfrey:
So at what point did you decide I'm not running for baseball, I'm running for running?

Tayshaun:
So that didn't happen until after my freshman cross country season. I continued playing baseball and soccer and even started basketball up until ninth grade. We finished the cross country season and I ran pretty good. It was right before Coach Soles got here before the track season.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Tayshaun:
And right then it was the first day of track. I had tried baseball, but I didn't make the team and Soles came in and told us all these ideas that he wanted to take us as a team. And a lot of the guys had just started buying into a lot of my good friends on the team at that point. So I was like, “hey, maybe I should dedicate all my time to this running.”

Anthony Godfrey:
Talk to me about the competition this last weekend. What did that feel like?

Jack:
It was just a really cool experience. Nike really takes care of all the athletes that make it. They fly us out there on Thursday. They take us around their campus. On Friday, we run through the course. They give us a bunch of gear for our race. Saturday, we run the race. And Saturday, we come home. But they just take really good care of everyone. We're at a really nice hotel. They give us lots of food and-

Anthony Godfrey:
And they pay for all of this.

Jack:
Yeah, they pay for everything. They really want to, I guess, reward everyone for all the hard work they've put in.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about Nike swag.

Tayshaun:
The Nike swag is honestly really awesome. They give us all, they fully set us out in new uniforms. They give us backpacks, water bottles. They give us new sweats and jackets and everything. They just really make us feel as if we're one of the best runners in the nation. And they show us how it would be to almost be a Nike-sponsored athlete.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a really good way of putting it. Tell me about the other runners on your team.

Jack:
We have a lot of really good runners on our team. So I guess for the team that went to Nationals we have Jonah and Micah Tang, who are both juniors, they're twins. Then we have Max Hofheins, Will Steadman, and Hyrum Wood, who are all seniors. And it's just a - and we have Noah Manwaring, who's also a junior. He went to a different national championship meet in Alabama and he did really well there too.

Tayshaun:
All the guys on the team were really close. It's almost become like a family. We spend 90% of our time together practicing Monday through Saturday. For what, two hours a day? We spend a ton of time together. Even when we're not practicing, we try to hang out as much as possible. So it becomes like a family, especially through the seven guys. They're all super fun to hang out with. Even our eighth man, we're all super close and it pushes us harder, as Jack says.

Anthony Godfrey:
What do you do when you're running? Do you listen to music or do you not so that you can concentrate? How does that work?

Jack:
We usually run together. There will be a big group of like 15 guys at least that are all together. So usually we'll just be talking about our days and having conversations instead of listening to music.

Tayshaun:
Yeah, we're definitely more of a social team. We don't just like tune out and listen to music. While we're on our own, some of us do listen to music. But for the most part, we run together and just socialize.

Anthony Godfrey:
So most of you running is with others. You're mostly not running alone.

Tayshaun:
Yeah, definitely. We only run very rarely alone. And even when we do, we try to meet up if it's supposed to be a long run.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the friendships you make and the relationships you have are a big component of why you love cross country.

Jack:
Yeah, it's great to be surrounded by friends you love for so much of your day. And it really puts in perspective why you're doing it. Like if you're running a race and you look around and you see all your teammates. You remember that you're doing this for them and it really makes you work your very hardest.

Anthony Godfrey:
Do the friendships and the connections you have with other people on the team give you a competitive edge?

Jack:
I think they absolutely do. Running it hurts, obviously, and when you're kind of in a painful spot in the middle of a race, you think of the people that you've been training with all year and all the work they've put in probably how hard they're hurting. And sure it may hurt physically in the moment, but knowing after the fact that you didn't put your heart and soul into a race hurts more.

Tayshaun:
Yeah, definitely. From my personal experience, we were at Nationals and I was running along one of our seniors, Maxwell Hofheins. And I started to fall behind him as he kept going. In my head, I was just thinking, he's hurting a ton and I want to win this championship for this guy and for Jack farther ahead of me. It just gave me the motivation and the strength to push through that pain all the way to the finish line just because of how close we are.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the celebrations and the way that you've been greeted here at Herriman High School having come back with that victory.

Jack:
It's been like a hero's welcome. We're having people from all over the school, parents from all over the community. We got a police escort back to the school.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

Jack:
When we were getting back from the airport. It's just really great to see all the support we have in the community around us and that they care about us.

Tayshaun:
Yeah, it's almost as if we just become famous or something. Everybody cares. We went through the school yesterday and they had us go down the halls and we had the news recording us, we had every student at the school was just standing out in the hall chain for us and they really showed how we were welcome and how much we’re appreciated.

Anthony Godfrey:
A long time ago, I ran a few 5Ks here and there and I would always kind of pick out the person that I was going to overtake. It was mostly like somebody running with a stroller and a child. And I'm trying to like okay, you have a dog or you have a stroller. So maybe I can beat you. So I'm going to run as hard as I can to try to take you, overtake you. Do you do that in a race? Do you like pick okay, that's the next person. I'm just going to watch their pace and I'm going to outdo them. And then I'm going to pick off the next person and the next person. Are you motivated by the person right in front of you?

Jack:
Yeah, so we run our races. We go out a little more controlled at the beginning and we'll kind of speed up and pass a lot of people towards the end. It's not only good from like a physiological perspective where you're more likely to run better if you ease yourself into it. But it's also really good mentally because it just feels good to pass people.

Anthony Godfrey:
[LAUGH]

Tayshaun:
Yeah, no, we definitely also, we know what the other team's jerseys are like and we know who we're competing against. So just being able to see them up there and being like, I'm going to go hunt him down and go pass him. It's definitely a really good feeling.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the three of us have some running experiences in common.

Tayshaun:
Yeah, definitely we do.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, that feels really good. That feels really good. Congratulations on a great outcome this weekend and on working so hard to get to where you are. We're really proud of your efforts and your accomplishments. So well done.

Tayshaun:
Thank you.

Jack:
Yeah, thank you for having us.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thank you for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you'll do today. We'll see you out there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. He's going to make it big in Hollywood, working with the best of the best in animation and film.

On this episode of the Supercast, meet Ethan Jones, a former student who talks about his time at the Jordan Academy for Technology and Careers, JATC, North Campus. It's a place where Ethan found the confidence to pursue his dream of heading to Hollywood to work in animation and film. We will also meet a JATC North teacher, whom Ethan credits with setting him on the path to career success.

We're talking now with Ethan Jones, a former student of the Jordan Academy for Technology and Careers. Ethan, thank you very much for talking with us.

Ethan Jones:
Yeah, thanks for having me.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're joining us via Zoom from where?

Ethan Jones:
Los Angeles.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me about the career that you have now as a result of a lot of factors in your life, one of which includes your experience at JATC.

Ethan Jones:
Yeah, so yeah, I started my creative pursuits at JATC, doing the digital media program. And during that time, I got to do a tour of Gnomon, which is the college I just barely graduated from. There at JATC, I kind of was exposed to 3D animation, and that kind of kickstarted my aspirations for the discipline. Back then, I wanted to be a filmmaker. And thankfully, JATC was like, no, animation's way cooler. And thanks to my teacher. Yeah, that's the dream happened.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about your teacher. What do you remember about your teacher, the class, that experience at JATC?

Ethan Jones:
The class was pretty great. My teacher was amazing, Lisa Wadzeck. She teaches the digital media program at JATC North. And she really just pushed me and showed me these new career paths I could go down. How the program works, you kind of are like a jack of all trades for the first half of the year. And then the next half, you get to kind of specialize in something. And so I did the JATC program twice. The first time I did video production, and then the second, I did 3D animation. And that 3D side of things, the creative freedom I had was just perfect for me. And yeah, since then, I haven't looked back, and that's my career path since.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about what attracted you to the 3D work after you were exposed to that through the program where you get to try out some different things.

Ethan Jones:
Yeah, what really bothered me about traditional filmmaking, especially being a young student, was I didn't have a lot of resources. So in order to make a film look good, you have to be at a good location, somewhat decent camera, and a million other equipment, lighting, audio, all that stuff. And as a poor student, I couldn't have access to those things. And so 3D, all I needed to do was just dedicate my time, and I could make whatever I want.  I think that aspect of 3D is what really attracted me to make the movies I want to make. Eventually, I want to be a director, so the 3D is kind of temporary. It's just a way of me understanding the discipline and getting to work on a few productions eventually. And hopefully, one day, live out my real dream, which is to make my own stuff.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the 3D animation allowed you to be creative without being bound by quality of equipment or circumstances you could really let your imagination take off.

Ethan Jones:
Exactly, yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now tell me about the training that you had after leaving high school.

Ethan Jones:
So I went to Gnomon School of Visual Effects and Animation. It's a trade school. They specialize just in my industry for both film and games. And so they've won a lot of awards. They're considered one of the best schools in the world for my trade. At first, I did not even apply to that school because I was too nervous to. And my JTech teacher kept telling me, just apply. The worst they could say is no, and then you could work on it and eventually get there. But you're never going to get it if you don't apply.

And that self-doubt, I stopped. I didn't apply for six months. And I kind of regret that, but I've had a lot of experiences since then that are good that kind of kickstarted my career in ways that I didn't foresee. But after I applied, I got in. And then for the last three years, I've been kind of rigorously training in 3D in all aspects from programming to modeling, texturing, lighting, rigging, the whole pipeline.

It kind of works the same way J Tech does, kind of funny. So the first year, you kind of learn everything. And then the next two years, because it's a three-year bachelor's degree program, the next two years that you study, you get to specialize in either film or games. And I specialize in film. It's kind of funny now looking back. That's kind of how J Tech works. I think that's the perfect way to do it, get you exposed to everything. And then you get to choose what you're really passionate about. It's a good way of learning.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I love that your teacher helped encourage you to apply. The worst they can say is no, but it can feel pretty terrible to be told no, because that can feel like somebody saying, no, you have no potential. No, you should not follow this path. Not just no, you're not admitted to our school. So congratulations on completing that program. And I'm really glad to hear that JATC seems to mirror what they do there.

Ethan Jones:
Yeah, that's great.

Anthony Godfrey:
So now, what piqued your initial interest in film? You say you started out wanting to do film and then moved to 3D. Where did that initial interest, that spark come from?

Ethan Jones:
I got interviewed by a couple articles, a couple magazines, and I kind of got to reflect during that time on what made me the way I am. And I think looking back, I think it's my dad who really kickstarted me, because as a kid, he would kind of tell me stories, and he would play movie soundtracks, and he would kind of involve us in the story somehow. And so it would be like a night in a desert or something and then we'd have this awesome movie. And in my brain, I could picture the movie he was pitching to us. I think that mixed with my mom kind of pushing me to read a lot of books. I fell in love with storytelling.

And then at the age of 10, my dad actually owns a media production company, so he does a lot of commercial work in the Salt Lake area. And I got to basically job shadow him on a couple productions when I was really young. And just kind of seeing how that worked, I knew I belonged there. I just didn't know how I was going to get there. And then middle school came. I was kind of making my own kind of silly stop-motion, Lego animations. And then high school hit and my mom told me about the JTech program. And since then, the rest is history.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great support from your parents being aware of that program. And I love that your mom helped push you toward reading and that your dad fostered that creativity from an early age. Imagining the movie to go with the soundtrack, that just sounds fantastic. We're big movie fans in my family. So the letterbox accounts, tracking all their movie watching and all that is a big deal. So thinking about that and thinking about the soundtrack and the creativity levels that were encouraged by your family. That's exciting. Tell me about the experience seeing your dad at work.

Ethan Jones:
I think as a kid, you kind of look at your dad as this awesome person. I always thought that when I was young. So seeing my dad kind of work his craft. Kids typically like to mimic their parents and they kind of want to be like them one day. And since I was a little toddler to an early teenager, that's all I wanted to be. And then it's kind of funny at like 13, 14, I wanted to be the opposite. I wanted to do something else. And I kind of went full circle and went back to wanting to be like my dad.

Anthony Godfrey:
That is not an unfamiliar cycle. It's exciting that you're where you are now. So tell me about your work currently in LA now that you've graduated. Tell me some of the projects that you've been involved with and some of the work that you're doing.

Ethan Jones:
Yeah, so currently the film industry’s in repair. We have the actors and writers strike that kind of took out a lot of the film jobs. I graduated this year in September. So it's been about a couple of months and they told me right before I graduated it's the worst time to graduate in 50 years. So that was kind of comforting. But since then I've been working as a freelance CG artist. I've been able to pick up a few gigs here and there from online freelancing sites. I'm currently under NDA, so I can't necessarily talk specifically what I do. But it's not film. It's more like video game related. But yeah, since then I've just been doing freelancing.

Anthony Godfrey:
Since you're bound by a non-disclosure agreement for whatever work you're doing, just kind of tell me the types of work that you're doing. Are you creating figures that have been described to you or what exactly does work look like even though you can't give specifics about a particular project?

Ethan Jones:
Sure. So typically in a production, this is kind of what I'm doing. We have concept artists who would make what I'm doing is specifically environment work. So I get a lot of props for lamps or barrels or stylized pieces. And I then create those for the environment, whatever environment they're creating for their game. So as a CG generalist, typically, this is kind of hard to explain, especially the people who aren't familiar with a lot of computer stuff. But in a CG pipeline, you have a lot of different disciplines and I was trained as a general.

So I can do all of them from modeling, texturing, lighting, rigging, animation, the final rendering, and compositing. Those are kind of the main disciplines. A lot of people specialize in one of those. As a jack of all trades in that field, it's easier for me to get work that way because everyone needs somewhere I can fit anywhere in a production pipeline, which is nice. That's kind of the stuff I do.

Anthony Godfrey:
So the CGI work that you do for video games, not to be disclosed, is as you said, it's texture, it's lighting, it's other things. I've seen articles where if the lighting is off, the viewer or the player, as it were, may not be able to identify, “huh, the light on that barrel looks weird.” But you look at it and it just feels artificial. It doesn't feel right. It just feels like something is off. So we can really tell without knowing exactly what's wrong if something isn't quite what it ought to look like.

How can you tell when you've hit the mark? Do you run it past people who haven't seen it before? Or how does that work? Because I would imagine that after you've worked on something for a while, it's tough to see any of the flaws because you're so deep into it.

Ethan Jones:
Yeah, it's kind of funny you mentioned lighting. Lighting is actually the most important aspect in all art, basically, even photography. If you have bad lighting, the whole scene looks bad. So when it comes to, you know, getting pure feedback on whether something looks good or not, I typically I go to people in my – I have a pretty good connection from everyone at Gnomom. My teachers are all working in the industry. I got to learn modeling from the guy who made the Millennium Falcon in Star Wars. There's a ton of cool little people I got to meet that I'm now friends with.

So I go to them whenever I have something like a personal work. Obviously, I can't, you know, my work work stuff, I can't show them yet. But when I'm making my own personal work, I typically like to go to them and like, you know, what can I fix or like, could you critique this? And you know, as an artist, it's very important to be open to critique. I feel like, you know, going to other people who either are in your industry who can tell you specifically, you know, like your model needs to like be higher poly or whatever, or even my family I go to just to get an overall like, is this cool looking? It's as simple as that. I feel like anyone can tell you if an art is cool or not.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, well, and it's pretty awesome to be able to go to Millennium Falcon guy and say what do you think?

Ethan Jones:
Yeah, that's pretty cool.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's amazing. Stay with us. When we come back, we talked to one of Ethan's teachers credited with setting him on a promising career path.

Break:
Does your child simply love learning online? The Jordan Virtual Learning Academy is tuition free and open to all K-12 students in Utah. We offer a choice for parents and have the very best teachers who simply love teaching online. Start your child on the path to personalized learning today and enroll now by visiting virtual.jordandistrict.org. That's virtual.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
What would you say to anybody who's considering taking either the film classes or the 3D modeling classes at JATC?

Ethan Jones:
I would say the best advice I can give you is just hang in there and the learning curve is very steep. Learning 3D is very tough. It's not an easy thing. It can be very kind of demotivating when you see your stuff and you kind of compare yourself to other people. I would just say focus on your own journey and everyone starts somewhere.

Some people kind of pick it up quick. Some people don't. There's a lot to learn and also learning how to learn. A school can teach you what they want to teach you, but there's a lot of things that you still need to learn. Learning on your own, having that passion, going to YouTube, kind of picking up new skills will serve you far better in life. That goes beyond film. It's just like a life lesson I learned learning art.

Anthony Godfrey:
As you mentioned, the writer's strike and the actor's strike have been resolved, but it takes a while for things to work through the production line and kind of get to you at that point, which is why you said it's the worst time in 50 years. Hey, you can only look up from here. It's only going to get better from here, right? When those projects come through, is it your hope to then work for a studio? Is that kind of how that works or for a particular company? You say you're doing freelance now. What's the next step once that wave, that kind of void that was created by the strike ends and the wave comes back?

Ethan Jones:
Yeah, yeah. I think my dream would to work at a studio called Industrial Light and Magic. They did Star Wars. They kind of work on every giant movie you see. They do more than Star Wars. I'm open to working for any studio just to get more experience in a production studio environment.

Anthony Godfrey:
Even I know Industrial Light and Magic, that's a great aspiration and I think you're well on your path. When you get your opportunity to direct and you and I are chatting on set, what genre of movie will you be making?

Ethan Jones:
That's a good question. I love all genres. I think it's funny because I've had life experiences in my life that kind of lead me to tell stories that have impacted me. A lot of the stories I tell are stories of grief, of loss. In 2013, I lost my brother, Mitchel, to Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Since then, my dad wrote a blog called Mitchel's Journey. I think that experience, losing my brother, kind of made me tell stories about grief and about loss. Really it'll be more heartfelt stories like that that really draw me. I also do have a lot of love for sci-fi films too. I'm only 23. I have hopefully another 60 years of my life. Hopefully, I'll be able to make a lot of more genres, different films.

Anthony Godfrey:
Many decades of creativity ahead. I'm glad that you acknowledged how I slipped in an invitation to be on set and see you in action in the future. I'm going to hold you to that because I know you have great things ahead. It's inspiring to hear about your family's impact. I'm thrilled to hear about the role JATC played in your path forward. I wish you the very best. You're well-trained. You've had some great experiences. I have no doubt you have a lot of success ahead of you.

Ethan Jones:
Thank you so much.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here at JATC North Campus with Lisa Wadzeck to talk about her program. Tell us a little bit about what you teach here.

Lisa Wadzeck:
Well, I teach digital media, which most people don't know what that means. It's basically being creative with a computer as your main tool. We do animation, audio, video, graphics, game development. It gives a chance to explore different ways that they can communicate and get messages across and actually do it as a career and get paid for doing something they love.

Anthony Godfrey:
Speaking of which, we spoke with Ethan, one of your former students, who is now working in LA in this area. How exciting is that to hear from him? I understand you've stayed in touch.

Lisa Wadzeck:
Yeah. I try to stay connected with my kids through LinkedIn so I can see the cool things that they do. He recently shared that he'd been highlighted in that article. I'm just so stinkin' proud of him. Just amazing things. It's just so fun to see students go out and accomplish and do the things that they love and want to do.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's interesting to me that he came in expecting to want to do video production and came away wanting to do animation and do some of the other digital work that you described because you were so influential in his path. I always say that classes at JATC North or South are useful sometimes because they draw you to something and sometimes because they draw you in a different direction from where you expect it to go. Tell me a little bit about that.

Lisa Wadzeck:
That's one of the things I love about this program is the first semester they come in and they try a little bit of everything. They try the graphics, the audio, the video. A lot of the kids will come in with that preconceived, I want to be an animator. I want to do video production. Once they get into it and try it, the skills needed sometimes are maybe a little bit different than what they anticipated. They decide, maybe this isn't for me, but wow, I really enjoy doing this over here.

Second semester the kids then get to specialize in one of the areas that they tried for a semester. Some of the kids will come in and do what they thought they were going to love doing. A lot of the kids will come in and do something completely different because they found something new that they really liked.

Anthony Godfrey:
Ethan's post-high school training, which is at a prestigious establishment, was the same sort of structure that you just described. It was more general exposure and then they get to be more specific in what they pursue. You prepared him extremely well and many other students for a career in digital media. Beyond the natural curiosity and obvious creativity that's required, what are some of the other characteristics you look for in a student to be successful here?

Lisa Wadzeck:
Students who, I like what you said about the curiosity, students who have a natural curiosity and just start exploring and playing. Instead of waiting for me to show them how to do something, I'm just going to go figure it out. We've got this day and age with YouTube at our fingertips. It's amazing what we can start figuring out online. To be honest, the reason I know as much as I do is because I've got 30 kids at a time who go, ooh, how do you do this? I say, I don't know, let's Google it, figure it out. That drive to just learn on your own is the biggest thing because technology is always changing. What they're learning in class now is not going to be how they're going to be doing it in four or five years out in industry.

Anthony Godfrey:
Learning that you can figure it out on your own and that you can, with a little creativity and hard work, do some things you didn't expect to be able to do, is the best preparation for a profession that's going to change a lot over the years.

Lisa Wadzeck:
Exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you've created a very fertile learning environment for that to take place. I was walking in, when we walked in to talk with you, we're here in the lab with all these graphics around the room. There was one student here still working on a project and it's amazing. So we're going to be back to talk more about the great work that your students are doing. Thank you for everything that you do to provide this sort of learning environment for students.

Lisa Wadzeck:
Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.

♪ music ♪

♪♪♪

Anthony Godfrey;
Hello, and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Some call them short order cooks working in a school cafeteria that is like no other.

On this episode of the Supercast, we celebrate Thanksgiving at the Kauri Sue Hamilton School, where cafeteria staff make sure the holiday is celebrated in fun and festive ways for students with special needs. Find out how these incredible food service workers use a unique set of cooking skills to make sure every meal is custom made to meet the varied needs of the many students they serve.

We're here in the cafeteria of Kauri Sue Hamilton School with Katie Bastian to talk about what happens for Thanksgiving dinner today.

Katie Bastian:
We do a full feast.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the feast that is laid before the students here at Kauri Sue Hamilton School.

Katie Bastian:
It's a pretty typical Thanksgiving dinner. You've got your turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, yams, stuffing, pumpkin pie.

Anthony Godfrey:
And a lot of it is made from scratch, which is really the signature move of the Nutrition Services Department. As director, you've explained before that this really cuts down on our reliance on outside companies to prepare food in advance and makes for a better meal.

Katie Bastian:
It does, yeah, where we have fully staffed kitchens with labor, all of our kitchens are fully operational with equipment. We make all of our food here, you know, onsite. It's not reheated and served. It's all made onsite. We do make a lot of things from scratch and it lets us have control of the quality.

Anthony Godfrey:
And is this the same type of meal that will be prepared in schools throughout the district?

Katie Bastian:
Yes, yes. During this week, there are a couple of them on different days, but yes, every student during the school district will have access to a Thanksgiving feast. And then, Kauri Sue has a lot of dietary modifications. So we're doing some special things here, just like they do in the other schools, but there's more here. Like, we'll do gluten-free gravy, gluten-free roll, you know, things along those lines. So with some small modifications, most students should be able to eat it.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's wonderful that you customize the meals to the extent that you do so that even students with those dietary restrictions here at Kauri Sue Hamilton School, where our students with the most severe disabilities receive an education, it's just wonderful that you still make those traditional meals available to students in the same way.

Katie Bastian:
Yeah, the staff goes above and beyond at this school. They do extra texture modifications and dietary modifications that most of the other schools don't see. So, again, they're in it for the kids. They go above and beyond. We're lucky to have a registered dietitian on staff to make sure all the students within our district are taken care of and have what they need. So if they want to eat with us, they can.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now tell me about the texture modifications as well.

Katie Bastian:
So purees, different textures, ground, that type of modification. So if a student can't–

Anthony Godfrey:
So that something's more finely ground so that it's easier for them to consume. Blendtec, the company in Utah, when you say that you'd be surprised what you can puree, they actually have a Will It Blend channel, I think, on various social media. So you could do a Will It Puree channel where you put certain school foods in to puree them so that students have access to those meals.

Katie Bastian:
Yeah, I'm always surprised. Like, this is a hamburger. We've got our meat. We've got our bun. This is, you know, tastes like a hamburger. So again, it's their kind of specialty here. They do a great job.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now you were in this role previously. Tell me about the dietitian's role and we did a podcast early on with you about that. Tell me about the role of a dietitian in helping create the meals for the district.

Katie Bastian:
Sure. Right now probably accommodate, we have on file over 800 accommodations district-wide. We're probably not actively accommodating that many, but we keep documentation on them. It is a full-time job making sure all the diabetics, gluten-free, soy-free, egg-free, dairy-free, are taken care of and seeing what modifications. And the dietitian will look over each and every one of those papers that's turned in to us to make sure that they have a meal that's safe for them. You know, we check in with the parents. We check in with the kitchen manager so everyone's on the same page. For the most part, you know, students love, we hear a lot of good feedback from parents that they're just so glad they can meet at school with their peers and know that they're safe and their meals are well taken care of.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, you and the staff do a great job at the district level and I also know that every school staff is made up of very dedicated employees who really care about kids and have daily contact with kids. That is really important to kids' nutrition but also to their just feeling connected with the school.

Katie Bastian:
Yeah, the credit goes out to the over 500 lunch staff that we have because they make it happen every day.

Anthony Godfrey:
And we always have positions available for those who are interested. A few hours in the middle of the day or full-time throughout the day, there are lots of opportunities to be involved in. It's great contact with the kids and it's really an important part of their day. So that's always out there available for those who are interested.

Katie Bastian:
Yeah, come join our team.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, thanks very much, Katie.

Katie Bastian:
Thank you. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here with Melissa, the sub-manager here at Cari Sue Hamilton School for Nutrition Services. Thank you for being here.

Melissa:
Yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me about being at Kauri Sue this year.

Melissa:
I just started in September, the beginning of the year. I really like it. I was scared to come here because it's a lot different because I come from a middle school. But I've learned a lot and the kids are super nice and the teachers are helpful. And I don't know, I just like it here.

Anthony Godfrey:
I know that they rely on you in a big way. At every school, the Nutrition Services staff is really key to how the school feels and how the school functions. But at Kauri Sue Hamilton School in particular, with the special needs and the dietary restrictions, they really rely on your being creative, and flexible, and responsive to a wide variety of needs. So thank you very much for all the hard work you do. Tell me a little bit about what that's like day to day.

Melissa:
So we came up with a different way of keeping track of my special diets. So I have two papers to keep track of the special needs, the special diets for gluten-free. Let's see, what else? We have puree, we have chopped, we have small chopped. And then the other kids are on another paper so I can keep track of which kid is allergic to citrus or onion or all the different things.

Anthony Godfrey:
So allergies and the way that the food is prepared, there are all kinds of things at play. It's really important of course, those things need to go right. Because otherwise, students are at risk. So that's an added layer of responsibility that you take on. And it's really important, so thank you for doing that.

Melissa:
It's just important to– I just do the same routine every day so I know which student can have this and this and this and keep your food separated. So yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
What does your day look like? When do you start? When does it end?

Melissa:
Oh, I get here at 6:00 and I start doing breakfast. And then my 6-hour worker comes in at 7:30 and he'll start making lunch. And then we serve lunch and I go home at 2:30.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow. That's a long day. Tell me what are some of the favorites out here? What are some of the favorite meals that kids get most excited about?

Melissa:
Well, the chicken nuggets are the top one of course.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah.

Melissa:
Yeah. They like the mac and cheese.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm a big mac and cheese fan myself.

Melissa:
They really like it here.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's really good.

Melissa:
And then probably they do like the sloppy joes, which is surprising. We don't serve that at middle school, so I was surprised they like it.

Anthony Godfrey:
I haven't had the sloppy joes. I need to put that on the list.

Melissa:
Yeah, they're good.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Does the Thanksgiving meal for today take a little extra effort, I'm assuming?

Melissa:
Yes. We serve a lot extra. Stuffing, sweet potatoes. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
What's the hardest to prepare?

Melissa:
Well, the turkeys. We cooked the turkeys a couple days ago, slice them, cook them. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Awesome. Well, it all looks great.

Melissa:
Oh, thanks.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I just can't thank you enough for being such an important part of Kauri Sue Hamilton.

Melissa:
Oh, thanks. Thanks for coming to this school.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, we talk to a teacher about the Thanksgiving dinner served up at Kauri Sue.

Break:
In Jordan School District, we like to support students in and outside the classroom along with their families. That's where the Jordan Family Education Center comes in, offering support services and a wide variety of classes for students and their families, free of charge. You can take a class called Blues Busters for children feeling sad or worried. Just Breathe is a class that helps students reduce stress. Or how about a class that supports parents in helping their children make and keep good friends. There are also support groups and free counseling, all provided by Jordan School District school psychologists, counselors, and school psychology interns. To find out how you can benefit from free family support services offered by the Jordan Family Education Center, call 801-565-7442 or visit guidance.jordandistrict.org.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here with Amy, one of the teachers at Kauri Sue Hamilton School. Introduce yourself and tell us what you're up to here.

Amy White:
I'm Amy White and I teach special education here and we are enjoying our lunch today.

Anthony Godfrey:
And you're helping feed students this wonderful feast.

Amy White:
I am, yes.

Anthony Godfrey:
And what is the reaction? I see applause.

Amy White:
Well, this student is applauding, yes. We have some cheers. Do you like lunch today?

Student:
No.

Amy White:
Is it good?

Student:
Yeah.

Amy White:
Yes, it is. There are smiles all around.

Anthony Godfrey:
Lots of happiness brought by this meal. Is lunch something that everybody looks forward to by and soon?

Amy White:
Oh yeah, we all love lunch around here. Our lunch staff does a great job of accommodating lots of different dietary needs and making something delicious that they all enjoy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Many of the students here require assistance with meals and so you're very involved and very aware of the reaction to the meals.

Amy White:
Yes, yes. And if it's something they don't like, we know that. They'll tell us loud and clear.

Anthony Godfrey:
They're an expressive group that’s for sure.

Amy White:
They are very expressive.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is this something they've been looking forward to I assume?

Amy White:
Yes. Yes, Thanksgiving in general and lunch every day. But this one is a favorite meal for sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now the staff has access to the lunch as well, right?

Amy White:
Yes, yes. We look forward to it too. I just had some pumpkin pie before this and it's incredible.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about the lunch staff here. I know that it's a unique situation where, as you said, a lot of accommodations are required. Tell me about the staff.

Amy White:
Some new lunch staff this year and they've been excellent at accommodating to whatever we need and very flexible, always willing to make separate meals if we need them. We have kids with a variety of needs here from purees to chopped meals to ground or different allergies and they've just done excellent. I think there's some getting used to at the beginning but they've really adapted and really they've saved our lives here.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's fantastic. It really takes everybody working together to be sure that we meet the unique needs of students here at Kauri Sue Hamilton School.

Amy White:
That's right in lots of different ways and that definitely applies to lunch.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah, no doubt. Well here at Kauri Sue Hamilton School. You always go above and beyond in celebrating holidays and making the most of those moments. What else are you doing for Thanksgiving?

Amy White:
We have an excellent music teacher here, music therapist, Cassie, who always does a great job at singing songs and having dances and different activities. All around the school, you can see turkeys that we've made, handprint turkeys, and different crafts like that. We just try to have a good time. We love movement activities and art and music and just all around we're doing that. We do a lot more for Christmas and Halloween, all those things. It's always really fun to celebrate big with our kids.

Anthony Godfrey:
Just a wide range of great things going on all over the Kauri Sue Hamilton School.

Amy White:
It's a good place to be.

Anthony Godfrey:
Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there and Happy Thanksgiving.

♪♪♪

♪♪♪

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. Years after graduating from Bingham High School, a former student couldn't stop craving a cafeteria item that she ate almost every day. She even doubted whether she would ever get to enjoy it again.

On this episode of the Supercast, hear the story of two Bingham High graduates, now married, and how they were downright determined to get their hands on a couple of beloved Bingham cafeteria spicy chicken sandwiches. Find out how they got the surprise of a lifetime in the process of their culinary pursuit.

♪♪♪

George:
Hello!

Anthony Godfrey:
Hi, how are you?

Brianna:
We're so good.

Anthony Godfrey:
My name is Anthony Godfrey. I'm the Superintendent of Schools for Jordan School District.

Brianna:
That's amazing!

Anthony Godfrey:
And I understand that you're a fan of the spicy chicken sandwich.

George:
The biggest fan.

Brianna:
A loyal fan.

Anthony Godfrey:
A loyal fan.

Brianna:
Yeah, think about it every day.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, this is your lucky day because, as you can probably tell, I have a bunch of foil-wrapped spicy chicken sandwiches straight from Bingham High School.

Brianna:
Oh gosh.

Anthony Godfrey:
These are not just spicy chicken sandwiches from the Jordan District. It is from Bingham High School.

Brianna:
Oh my gosh, thank you so much.

Anthony Godfrey:
Can we enjoy some spicy chicken sandwiches with you?

Brianna:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
We can do it out here if you'd like. I know we're surprising you.

George:
Um, well you probably have to take your lunch, right?

Brianna:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
We can do it right out here. We even brought some chairs.

Brianna;
Oh, perfect. I'm Brianna, this is George. We went to Bingham, how many years ago now? Like five or six?

George:
We graduated in 2017, so it's been six years since we graduated.

Brianna:
Yeah, and we've been together for five years, and basically like, probably once a month I joke about all the time how I think spicy chicken sandwiches are just amazing. If I could go back to Bingham for those, I would.

George:
I've been trying to figure it out for years and then I finally was like, I just got to–

Brianna:
It's time.

George:
I got to go up the chain, you know, got to ask them.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now, now you, you just clicked on the website and said – tell us about the message that you sent because it got all of our attention.

George:
I basically just said, um, well, like my wife loves the chicken sandwiches and I need to figure out how to get them because we like just found out recently that she was pregnant and so I was like, I have to get them.

Brianna:
It's a perfect excuse.

George:
You know, it's like I have to. After all these years of joking and you're like, ‘ah, one day, you know, maybe somehow’ now I'm like, well, it's, you know, it's go time. I got to get them.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's go time. So you sent in a comment and we are responsive to the comments sent in on the website. Not always this responsive where I personally travel to Saratoga Springs, but today is an exception because it's the first time I've heard specifically about someone who was such a devoted fan of the spicy chicken sandwich. So here's my question. I know that you just found out that you're pregnant. Do you account for this as a craving specifically or is this something that you have craved long before finding out that you were expecting?

Brianna:
Definitely long before I literally, like I said, I've commented on it probably a good 10 times over the years about how much I love it. And now it's just the perfect excuse where he can't say no. He had to figure it out.

George;
Yeah, literally. I can't even tell you how many times she's talked about wanting the spicy chicken sandwiches because we'll talk about like school and stuff because we kind of didn't really cross paths at Bingham and we only met after.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah.

George:
And so we've talked about our experiences and every time we bring up like high school in any way, it's always like the sandwich will come up as like, “I love those chicken sandwiches. They were just the best.”

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, our nutrition services director was pretty pleased to hear the impact with the spicy chicken sandwiches had on your life.

Brianna:
They know what they're doing.

Anthony Godfrey:
And we asked about the recipe and just to point out your husband's devotion, the recipe is for 250 sandwiches. And he said, “You know what? I'll make 250 and we'll just put them in the freezer.” Like he was ready to lean into that recipe. But we actually brought a 2017 yearbook from the archives for you to browse through to kind of jog some other Bingham memories. And you didn't meet in high school. Is that right?

George:
Yeah, we didn't. We actually had the same - she was in a class that I had with Moritz.

Brianna:
Yeah, two of them.

George:
She sat like two seats behind me. I never knew until after.

Brianna:
We were kind of like, he had a friend group, I had a friend group, and they were kind of passing by each other.

George:
So we were very much in orbit.

Brianna:
Yeah.

George:
Never collided.

Brianna:
Never talked too much.

Anthony Godfrey:
And then the gravitational pull kicked in.

George:
It was too strong. Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right.

George:
I also remember we did like they did like this drone shot.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah.

George:
That was really good.

Anthony Godfrey:
I see that there with 17.

George:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, and the apostrophe. I think the people in the apostrophe must feel pretty cool.

George:
They probably do. For sure. It was an exclusive club.

Anthony Godfrey:
That they got to be apostrophe people.

Brianna:
I think it was in the one somewhere.

Anthony Godfrey:
It was probably a lottery drawing to be part of the apostrophe instead of the one or the seven.

George:
Probably, yeah.

Brianna:
There's my picture.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh yeah. There you are.

Brianna:
And then there's George's.

Anthony Godfrey:
Yeah. Wow. That's awesome.

George:
I know. It's close to each other in the yearbook too. I know.

Anthony Godfrey:
Look, I'll tell you, you have not aged in the last five to seven years.

George:
Yes. I know.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're looking great. You're looking great.

George:
When I was 16, it was funny because I always had like a baby face. I remember I worked at Best Buy and someone was like, “How old do you have to be to work here?” And I was like “16”. They're like, “Oh, you look 12.” And I was like, “Oh, thank you. Thank you so much for that.”

Anthony Godfrey:
That used to happen to me too, but yeah. Winter is coming.

George:
Yeah. Exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
That won't last forever.

George:
Exactly. So the older I get, the more I'm thankful that I have a baby face cause you know what? I'm youthful.

Anthony Godfrey:
You look fantastic. You look fantastic.

George:
Thank you, thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now tell me, so when are you due?

Brianna:
It’s super early. So like June, July?

George:
Yeah. We barely,  just barely found out.

Brianna:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, that's fantastic. Congratulations.

Brianna:
Thank you. Thank you. And thank you for this wonderful gift.

George:
Yeah. We'll remember this for sure.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now to enhance your Bingham experience today, the principal was very excited when we told him this story. So he has gathered a bunch of swag for you that we want to share with you now. Straight from the principal, we have a sweatshirt for each of you and a blanket for both of you. A huge Bingham blanket, which is pretty exciting. That'll come in handy, especially with the baby.

And the principal sent two pins from the year that you graduated. These become very limited right after that year passes. So from the archive, a pin for each of you from the year you graduated and a pin from this year for the baby when it's born. So the Bingham tradition for you guys continues. So Bingham didn't bring you together in the moment, but Bingham brought you together eventually.

George:
It did. It did because look at the impact it's having right now.

Brianna:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us. When we come back, we find out what all the fuss is about as we bite into a Bingham High spicy chicken sandwich.

Break:
Does your student want to become a veterinarian, commercial pilot, programmer? Maybe they want to make a difference as a dental assistant, work in digital media, robotics, welding, or web design. These are just some of the programs offered as part of Career and Technical Education, CTE in Jordan School District. CTE provides the technical skills needed to prepare students for future employment and/or a successful transition to post-secondary education. Career and Technical Education provides work-based learning opportunities. We partner with industry experts to offer apprenticeships and internships with students working in the real world at real jobs while going to school. The CTE experience starts in our elementary schools with the Kids' Marketplace and grows through middle and high school. Our two Jordan Academy for Technology and Careers (JATC) campuses offer unique programs to fit your child’s dreams for the future. To explore all CTE has to offer in Jordan School District visit cte.jordandistrict.org today and let's get your child started on the pathway to a profession.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now we were able to catch you at home because you both get to work from home several days a week. Tell me what you're each doing now.

George:
So I do complaints reporting for Lending Club Bank. So just analyzing complaints, trends, stuff like that, and then my reports get set up to the executives.

Anthony Godfrey:
Great!

Brianna:
Yeah, I work for the same company. Luckily, I also work from home and I do credit underwriting to approve like personal loans.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, awesome! Nice to be able to work from home and that'll be great when the baby comes as well.

Brianna:
It is nice and even worst case the office is only like 10 minutes away so overall it's a really nice location with work.

George:
Yeah.

Anthony Godfrey:
Same school, same job.

Brianna:
Even the same middle school for a minute.

Anthony Godfrey:
And the same middle school? Really?

George:
We both went to Elkridge for two years and then I went to South Jordan Middle for ninth grade.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's awesome.

George:
I know. Well, actually it's funny this is a story that I always love. She had my– in seventh grade, I just moved to South Jordan. I lived in Saratoga Springs prior so I was new, no one knew me. I had a math class I think it was Miss Graff.

Brianna:
Yeah.

George:
And she sat at the same table as me in seventh grade. I don't remember this but she remembers this because she said she had a crush on me when she first saw me at the table. And then when Miss Graff did roll call and said my name she stopped having a crush on me.

Anthony Godfrey:
Really?

George:
Back in seventh grade she said–

Brianna:
My little 12-year-old brain.

Anthony Godfrey:
And why was that?

George:
She didn't like the name George you know. That’s just how it is.

Anthony Godfrey:
George shut it down for a while.

George:
It shut it all down, but look at where we are now.

Anthony Godfrey:
Look at you overcoming that name.

George:
Overcoming challenges.

Anthony Godfrey:
I like the name George but she does now too right?

George:
She does now too for sure.

Brianna:
It doesn’t make 12-year-old me shine super bright but –

Anthony Godfrey:
No, hey, hey! We all evolve. We grow up. Things change.

George:
Exactly. Exactly.

Anthony Godfrey:
Without any further ado, I have hot spicy chicken sandwiches from Bingham right in front of me. How long has it been since you had one?

Brianna:
2017.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's been since since high school.

George:
It’s been like 7½ years. It’s been forever.

Brianna:
Yeah, right before graduation.

Anthony Godfrey:
And how frequently would you say when you were at Bingham you had a spicy chicken sandwich?

Brianna:
That's literally all I had for lunch.

Anthony Godfrey:
Every day.

Brianna:
If I ate lunch. Probably at least three times a week.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay well, here you are. Here's a platter of your favorite chicken sandwich. So maybe take one from the bottom maybe it's a little hotter.

Brianna:
Okay okay.

Anthony Godfrey:
And I just want us to wait and see your reaction. So you go right ahead. She's gonna unveil it right now.

George:
It's been so long.

Anthony Godfrey:
Her hands are shaking a little bit.

Brianna:
I know.

Anthony Godfrey:
She's pretty excited.

Brianna:
I know I am. Look at her in all of her glory.

Anthony Godfrey:
Does it look like you remember?

Brianna:
It does.

George:
The same bun.

Brianna:
She's fluffier dare I say.

Anthony Godfrey:
Made with the same level of love.

Brianna:
She's beautiful.

George:
Yeah. Is it exactly how you remember?

Brianna:
It's wonderful.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now it's like a Proustian Madeleine that is taking you back to your childhood.

Brianna:
Yeah.

George:
It's like the scene in Ratatouille when the critic eats the food and it like transports him back.

Anthony Godfrey:
Exactly.

Brianna:
I can hear kids screaming in the lunchroom.

Anthony Godfrey:
It's bringing it all back.

Brianna:
It is so perfect. Thank you.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay here now you can experience as well your wife's delight and I'm gonna have one too. I'm gonna join you.

Brianna:
Yeah.

George:
Yeah. Might as well.

Brianna:
Join the party.

Anthony Godfrey:
Doug's holding the microphone. No chicken sandwich.

Brianna:
I’ll enjoy it for you. This is great.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. Let's peel it away. Oh, it does feel good. It's a nice soft bun.

Brianna:
I know. The bun might even be better. It's so fluffy.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a good sando.

Brianna:
Right.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Brianna:
The director knows what they're doing. This is so good.

Anthony Godfrey:
No wonder.

George:
I know, right?

Brianna:
I know.

George:
Just one of those things. You have it like every day when you're in school. You take it for granted and then you leave and you're like wait a minute, I can't get this at a restaurant.

Brianna:
It has a nostalgia that nothing else has. It's just too good.

Anthony Godfrey:
So tell me some of the memories this brings back. Do you remember who you had lunch with? And whether you had A or B lunch? And what are some of the Bingham memories that come back?

Brianna:
I definitely preferred the later lunch.

George:
Yeah.

Brianna:
It made the day go by faster.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh really? So by the time you get to lunch, you're done with three class periods and you've only got one to go.

George:
Exactly.

Brianna:
I'm nearly out of there.

Brianna:
But I remember being friends with Sophia Foresta. She did like BMX, had Sports Illustrated come at the time.

George:
Oh yeah, I remember that.

Brianna:
Yeah. Sophia is pretty cool. Some other friends Courtney, Alexis, I don't know. We're all grown up now.

Anthony Godfrey:
Now I heard that there was a particular teacher that was very impactful for you at Bingham.

Brianna:
Yes, Miss Bridge. She's amazing. She deserves everything good.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about her.

Brianna:
I don't know. There's so much I can say. She just really made me like think about the real world which I appreciate, because when you're in high school all you think about is yourself. So she made me like think and form my own opinions for myself and be like “what do you think about that” or “why do you think that way?” So she made me think like an adult for the first time.

Anthony Godfrey:
And tell me about your teacher experience as a thing.

George:
I had a couple of teachers that I really liked but I would say specifically if I were to call like anyone for being the best. I would say Kevin Moritz. He is like fantastic. He really like I think like without him I would not be like the same person I am today because he he taught like social studies. He also did like Econ stuff like that and the way that he would teach was so like engaging and fun but at the same time he was very like real about what he was talking about. You know he wouldn't sugarcoat anything. There was no bias in any of it and it seemed like he really cared about like the well-being for his students and he just he left like a pretty big mark on me. So I would shout him out forever. He's the best.

Brianna:
He's a good one too.

Anthony Godfrey:
Any other thoughts about Bingham before we let you before we leave you with the sandwiches to do with what you will?

George:
I'd also like to shout out the sub sandwiches. Oh, those are my personal favorite.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

George:
This is Brianna's. My favorite was the sub sandwiches. I love them so much. I don't know what the mayonnaise was made of. Honestly, it was a little runny and kind of strange but it was my favorite. It was my favorite. Like that's the best way I could put it. I don't know like when I look back at it that's my chicken sandwich and I'm like what I would do to have a sub sandwich with way too much mayonnaise on it.

Anthony Godfrey:
And this is how considerate he was. He never mentioned the sub sandwich.

George:
I didn’t want to muddy the waters.

Anthony Godfrey:
He was all about taking care of you. He was making sure you had what you needed.

Brianna:
That's amazing.

Anthony Godfrey:
So let us know. You can stop by an a la carte to either one anytime. I have nine or ten of them for you and the reason I'm vague about the number is because I think I'm taking one more with me.

George:
I don't blame you.

Anthony Godfrey:
No, I'm just kidding. It is a very tasty sandwich though. Previously my favorite meal was the macaroni and cheese that we make in Jordan District, but now that I found out that the chicken sandwich is so delicious and it's spicy every day of the week, that a la carte item is going to be on my list as well. So thank you for helping me understand better the options available.

George:
Gotta spread the word you know.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's right. Spread the word. So those listening you know let us know. Shoot me an email. We'll hook you up with a chance for an a la carte spicy chicken sandwich.

Thank you very much for taking the time and for letting us surprise you here with some sandwiches. I'm probably the only person that's going to surprise you with spicy chicken sandwiches today. So don't get your hopes up for another visit.

Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.

Anthony Godfrey:
Hello and welcome to the Supercast. I'm your host, Superintendent Anthony Godfrey. It was recently Navy Week at Hidden Valley Middle School, where students had a chance to dive deeply into Ocean STEM careers.

On this episode of the Supercast, discover why the US Navy visited a number of Utah schools, and why the Navy sees students as the future of solving some of the ocean's most challenging problems.

We talk with US Navy officers and civilians who explain why they want to help Utah middle school students find a passion for the oceans and possibly discover a career they might not have considered while living in the desert.

We're here at Hidden Valley Middle School talking with several representatives from the U.S. Navy who have been visiting our classrooms to talk with some of our students in science classes. And I'm really excited to have a chance to talk with you. Please introduce yourselves, where you're from, and just a little bit about yourself.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
Awesome. Well, glad to be here. My name's Lieutenant Amanda Weber. I am originally from Maryland, but call Stevensville, Montana home now. I have been in the Navy for about six years. I started off my career in the Navy as a meteorology and oceanography officer. I've currently done three tours in the Navy with that community, and currently right now work in Monterey, California. I’ve got a degree in biochemistry and then my master's in cybersecurity.

Lt. (j.g.) Corinne Fleury
All right, morning, thanks for having us. My name is Lieutenant (j.g.) Corinne Fleury So I've been in the Navy for about two years now. I'm also in METOC or meteorology and oceanography. I come from a small town, about an hour north of New York City called Mahopac, New York. In college, I studied space science and engineering.

Lt. Serena Gardner
Good morning, Lieutenant Serena Gardner. I'm from Santa Maria, California. I've been in the Navy for about seven years. I spent my first tour as a surface warfare officer, or SWO, driving warships out in Japan. And then for the last three years, I've been also doing meteorology and oceanography. I'm currently stationed at Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, where our headquarters is. And I have degrees in both chemical engineering and a master's in business.

Terri Yocum:
Hi, my name is Terri Yocum. I am from Covington, Louisiana, South Louisiana. I have two degrees in coastal science and coastal engineering. I started working for the Navy about three years ago, and I'm still living in the same area.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, it's great to have all of you and very nice to meet each of you. Tell me about what drew you to the Navy. What got you interested in being part of this?

Lt. Amanda Weber:
So I originally wanted to join the Army as a pharmacist, ironically enough. Clearly did not go that route. But I had both of my grandpas were in World War II. One of them was a meteorologis and the other one was in the Navy as a radar man. So I kind of merged the two and here I am as a meteorologist in the Navy.

Lt. Corinne Fleury:
Yeah, so for me, you know, I was spending my time in engineering school kind of learning not only all the technical matter that I needed to for my degree, but learning a little bit about the pathway of what being an engineer looks like. And to be completely honest, I just couldn't see myself doing that job for my entire life. I felt kind of called to something a little bit hopefully more out there, more adventurous, out in the field. I wanted to challenge myself. I wanted to serve my country, so I definitely felt interested in the military. That's kind of what drew me toward it.

Lt. Serena Gardner:
So mine is definitely a combination of factors. My grandfather was career army, so I grew up hearing all of his stories about his experiences in Europe and then my brother is career Marines. He's older than me and definitely was a big influence on my selection of military life. However, the Navy was a much better fit for me than the Marines or the Army specifically because of its focus on STEM. The STEM opportunities, especially for a female in the Navy, are a lot more diverse than any other branch. So that was definitely my influence there.

Terri Yocum:
So as a civilian, I want to say prior to three years ago, I didn't even know that was an option. The Navy came into the University of New Orleans and was looking to hire scientists and I happened to be on that list and I actually really love my job now. I get to help the Navy with search and rescue and make models for currents and tides and I like it a lot.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me about helping the Navy with search and rescue. What does that involve? What are some of the things you do related to that?

Terri Yocum:
So I build these models that predict the tides and currents and if somebody is overboard or something is overboard, then since I can predict the currents, I run the models and try to figure out where that person might be.

Anthony Godfrey:
So that when they start to search, they know where to search based on the predictions you've done of where the tides and currents are headed.

Terri Yocum:
Yes, sir.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me what is involved in being an oceanographer or meteorologist for the Navy? What are some of the things you're doing day to day when you're not in eighth-grade classrooms?

Lt. Amanda Weber:
So I will say that the great thing about being in the Navy is that you, especially in the uniform, is that you move incredibly frequently. So with that move comes normally a change in job, and that can be a minor shift or a major shift. I've been lucky enough to do three jobs that I feel like don't really have much in common except for the fact that I've had the same essential title. So my first job, I did a lot of atmospheric and oceanographic forecasting across the globe, I did that for aviation platforms, so helicopters, jets, P-8s, so like the big large airplanes that pretty much mimic Boeing planes.

Anthony Godfrey:
Tell me a little bit more about that. You're predicting the weather before they're taking flight in a particular direction or how does that work exactly?

Lt. Amanda Weber:
Yes sir, so pilots in the Navy traditionally are required to have this piece of paper that records where they're going to fly and then the actual conditions that they're going to see when they're in flight as well as other locations that they can land if they were to encounter an issue during flight. So we as meteorologists create that report and allow for them to take off safely and then have additional options if they do need to land in an emergency.

Anthony Godfrey:
I really need you on snow days this winter. You know can I just call and have you look at things and tell me at 3 30 in the morning whether I should call a snow day or not? If I could ask these students at the back of the room they're always going to say ‘yes it ought to be a snow day’ but I think I need Navy level support for my snow day decisions.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
So if you think that your local meteorologists are off key with--

Anthony Godfrey:
Now wait a minute I said nothing against our local meteorologists. I'm just standing here- you've got the uniform, you guys have all these degrees- I'm just thinking I could get a little backup.

Lt. Amanda Weber
I say a lot of things very confidently when it comes to weather forecasts. However, it is the one job in the universe where you can consistently be wrong and still have a job.

Anthony Godfrey:
You're off the hook. You don't have to help with the snow days. I will shoulder that responsibility alone.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
You can put me on like speed dial number nine if you really need backup, but I would definitely not be the first call.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, all right. Fair enough. Fair enough. Describe some of the other jobs. You started with the first one that you do.

Lt .Amanda Weber:
Yes, I apologize. We got a little bit off-kilter there.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's my fault.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
No, that's fine. I've done a lot. So yeah, started off doing all of that forecasting. So we did aviation, surface and subsurface. So all assets that the Navy owns we forecasted for. I was at that job for about two years, left there and I actually went to a mine warfare command in the Middle East. We actually lived in Bahrain for two years.

I worked for the component of the Navy that did mine warfare and expeditionary mine countermeasures. So pretty much we had to forecast for the surface of the ocean and underneath, learn a lot about the currents and bottom types, so certain different types of sediments, how they carry sound or how they bury things, and then hunt for mines all throughout that. So that was really fun. I got to watch a lot of things get blown up pretty much for two years.

Anthony Godfrey:
Wow.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
A lot of fun. And then it came back from that and now I work on my current job, where we do all of our atmospheric and oceanographic modeling. So we have all these supercomputers that run millions of calculations every hour to make sure that we know what is going on for about 70 different types of measurements in a multitude of different layers all across the globe.

Anthony Godfrey:
A multitude of different layers. You talked about subsurface, so what's going on underneath the surface of the ocean, on the surface, and atmosphere. And I never would have thought of it that way. I only think about the surface of the ocean. Fortunately, there are people like you that think below the surface. So that's quite a range of jobs.

How about for you? Have you done a, tell me about your day to day.

Lt. (j.g.) Corinne Fleury:
Yeah, so my day-to-day. Lieutenant Weber and I work at the same command, FNMOC. So essentially what we're doing is we're kind of the liaisons between any asset that's out in the fleet, mostly its ships. And we're kind of the connecting point between them and our civilian SMEs who are running those models and operating supercomputers to get them that output of what they need. So in a sense, we kind of speak the military language. So anything that they need to support their mission planning or exercises, we just help them get their products so that they can be safe out there and get the job done.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay. And how about for you? What are some of the jobs you're involved in?

Lt. Serena Gardner:
So my day-to-day is actually quite different than these other ladies. I work at the headquarters staff. So on a daily, I am prepping reports and summaries for the Admiral of the entire METOC community. So that's everything from knowing where all of our assets are on every ship in every country where any METOC personnel are located because that's what he cares about.

We're also tracking where all of our oceanographic vessels and what the surveys that they're doing, if they're having any problems, that's also something we track. If we have any issues with gliders, as Ms. Terri was saying before, and we need to go pick it up or request help from another organization, that's also something we do. So that's kind of on a daily where we're constantly measuring that drum beat of where we are with our assets and what else needs to happen to support the larger Navy missions.

Anthony Godfrey:
Stay with us when we come back we explore some exciting technology the Navy officers are sharing with Hidden Valley Middle School students.

Break:
Does your student want to become a veterinarian, commercial pilot, programmer? Maybe they want to make a difference as a dental assistant, work in digital media, robotics, welding, or web design. These are just some of the programs offered as part of Career and Technical Education, CTE in Jordan School District. CTE provides the technical skills needed to prepare students for future employment and/or a successful transition to post-secondary education. Career and Technical Education provides work-based learning opportunities. We partner with industry experts to offer apprenticeships and internships with students working in the real world at real jobs while going to school. The CTE experience starts in our elementary schools with the Kids' Marketplace and grows through middle and high school. Our two Jordan Academy for Technology and Careers (JATC) campuses offer unique programs to fit your child’s dreams for the future. To explore all CTE has to offer in Jordan School District visit cte.jordandistrict.org today and let's get your child started on the pathway to a profession.

Anthony Godfrey:
Is the kraken real?

Lt. Amanda Weber:
No comment.

Anthony Godfrey:
You can't tell me? Okay, all right, once we turn the microphone off we're gonna talk kraken, but right now let's talk about these devices right here that you have.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
Yes sir, so we have brought with us a very small deployable buoy as well as an eXpendable BathyThermograph. So again, why–

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay, wait, back up. An expendable backy thermograph?

Lt. Amanda Weber:
Bathy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Bathy, oh, I almost got there, okay.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
So the really great thing about all of these acronyms is that's why we use them, makes things a lot easier. So we actually call this an XBT, so we do not have to say that every time.

Anthony Godfrey:
I think that's a great idea.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
Yes, so we'll start with the buoy. So the buoy you'll see is relatively large compared to the XBT that we've got next to it, because this is something that we'll deploy on the surface of the ocean. It's got some of those solar panels around the side because that's actually how it's gonna continuously power itself, because it does have an iridium capability to send the data that it's collecting back to us, so that it can stay in the ocean, continue to collect, and then we can still get the data real time.

So you'll see that it's yellow, just mostly, so that when either ships or smaller fishing vessels or whatever are operating in the area that it's deployed in, know that it's there, can see it, and should theoretically leave it alone. We'll also notice on the top of it, this was a question that we got in a lot of the classrooms we've been in this week is that there's a QR code. In some portions of the world, you'll see this, and you might get kind of a nefarious thought that it's not a very nice thing. But if you scan this QR code, it actually shows up that it is a buoy, it is collecting oceanographic data, it is not harmful, and to please leave it alone and leave it where it is.

Anthony Godfrey:
I'm going to scan the QR code right now.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
It's perfect, it brings you directly-- - Let's pretend I was just snorkeling around in the middle of the ocean.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
It tells you that it is a data-collecting entity.

Anthony Godfrey:
Oh, it's a spotter.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
It is.

Anthony Godfrey:
OK. It works. Great.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
It does work.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right. That makes sense

Lt. Amanda Weber:
So it does -it measures a lot of our surface levels. It measures either really close to the surface for wind components, or it can also measure sea components as well. But it's going to measure everything there on the surface where it's actually floating.

And then that's where this XBT kind of comes into play, is it collects the data that a buoy cannot. So this is actually deployed off of aircrafts and ships all around the globe, breaking down kind of what the XBT actually stands for. So that first term, expendable. So this is something that we use once and also if it gets damaged in the deployment, it's not something that we need to retrieve.

Anthony Godfrey:
Okay.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
The bathy part allows for us to measure the actual depth of the water column that we're dropping it in. And then the thermograph means that the specific measurement that we're taking with depth is temperature. So this allows for us to calculate sound speed in the water column because the three things that the Navy is majorly concerned about when we're talking about oceanographic or undersea operations is sound speed. I want to know how far and how fast and how well my sound is going to travel.

And the three major components that make up that calculation is pressure, which comes directly from depth, salinity, which unfortunately this does not measure, but we do have other ones or other capabilities to measure that, and then also with temperature. So that's the main proponent of this measurement.

So we can deploy this and kind of get an understanding of what's going on directly under the asset so we can plan appropriately for our sonar ranges for the day as well as what frequency we should use.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, that's very interesting and I assume that there are many more that you use, many different types of devices and these are just a couple of examples.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
Yeah, absolutely. So you know, Ms. Gardner kind of mentioned the oceanographic ships that we have and they are absolutely stacked out far and wide with the different capabilities, collection, assets, as well as sensors on board. So this is just a couple of things that we use that are kind of on the cheaper side and as well as are a bit expendable because this buoy that we have here, the likelihood of us getting it back is pretty low because either it will go out to sea and we won't be able to find it because it is so small. Sometimes it'll get damaged and unfortunately stink or another asset will come and pick it up because they won't know what it is.

Anthony Godfrey:
Or a kraken will eat it.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
Or a kraken.

Anthony Godfrey:
Ah, she just acknowledged that a kraken exists. I knew it. I knew it. Tell me about visiting middle school classrooms in Jordan School District as part of your adventure.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
So honestly, it's been a really great experience. We walked into a couple of different classes where the students looked at us and had no idea what we were wearing because we showed up in our summer whites uniform. And it's not a very traditional thing you see in Salt Lake City, Utah. So that's been the really great part about this outreach that the Navy's been able to do this week, is actually exposing some of the youth in Salt Lake City to what the Navy brings to the table, as well as all of the great STEM opportunities that we have.

And I think it worked out really well because we actually ended up having four women that are in STEM. So that's kind of shown the youth as well that there are a lot of STEM opportunities and there's a lot of opportunities for women in the military as well.

Anthony Godfrey:
That's a fantastic message. And I'm really grateful that you've spent the time with our students and I was very excited to have this opportunity. What would you say to a student who's considering the Navy as a career?

Lt. Amanda Weber:
So it's been a great opportunity for me to be able to continue my education, to be able to see the world and to be able to meet people that I would have never had the opportunity to meet else wise. So being able to work with people that are from places like California, which I had never been before this tour, or like New York, we're a great representation of kind of how you can pull people from all across the states, get us into a single location and give us a similar goal and a similar mindset and just watch us excel and grow. So that's been a great opportunity for me to be able to see and also it just pushes you to be better.

There's nothing quite like watching the people that you work for, work alongside, and the people that work for you succeed and grow and change and actually be able to accomplish things that they never thought they could. So that's been just the absolute stellar part wearing the uniform every day and I could not be luckier.

Anthony Godfrey:
Outstanding and how about the civilian connection with the Navy?

Terri Yocum:
So like I said before as a civilian I didn't even know that was an option so I'm here to let everybody know that you can go to school and you can still work for the Navy and they still give you lots of opportunities so if traveling is not your thing maybe being working for the Navy as a civilian would be a better option.

Anthony Godfrey:
All right well thank you very much for your time and thanks for everything you've done to to help support our students and open up their minds to some other possibilities and helping them learn a little bit more about the STEM that they're studying.

Lt. Amanda Weber:
Yeah, absolutely. We're really lucky to be here.

Anthony Godfrey:
We're here with Mr. Peterson talking with him about the experience that he and his students have had in the classroom having the Navy visit. Introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about the experience.

Mr. Peterson:
My name is Mr. Peterson and we've had some people from the Navy come today and we got to learn quite a bit about how the Navy operates and what they do for us.

Isidro:
My name is Isidro, and I think that the best part of the Navy being here was learning about how fun it is to be in the Navy and learning about what type of schooling they had to go to. And that was pretty cool, I thought.

Zach:
Hi, my name is Zach, and I think one of the coolest parts about the Navy was learning the different STEM career options that you're able to do while still being in the Navy and serving your country.

Sage:
My name is Sage, and it was really, really cool to learn about the stuff they do because my dad was in the Navy before I was born. And he told me a bunch of stories when he did his stuff, and it's a lot different to hear it from other people.

Anthony Godfrey:
What are some things about the ocean and weather that you learned that you didn't know before?

Zach:
I learned that the weather and the ocean, it's honestly, it's almost completely unpredictable, but some of the technologies that we have these days make it a lot easier to predict or try to predict. But really it's all just a force of nature and we have to try our best to accept that.

Sage:
Same thing that Zach said.

Isidro:
I thought it was cool to learn about how many people work on trying to predict so many things about the weather and about how unpredictable it is. That’s crazy.

Anthony Godfrey:
Did it expand your mind having the Navy here to think about what some of the job opportunities might be for you in the future?

Sage:
Yeah, definitely. It's so cool about all the different things that they do, and it's not just like sitting on a boat and just doing stuff in the ocean.

Zach:
Oh, yeah, completely. Like, if I joined the Navy, I could potentially do two things that I love, serving my country and working with machines.

Isidro:
I agree with that.

Anthony Godfrey:
Well, thanks very much for taking the time and have a great school year.

Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Supercast. Remember, education is the most important thing you will do today. We'll see you out there.